IT was always going to be ugly, irksome and teetering on the brink of classless. But enough about Neil Warnock’s post-match Press conference.

The game itself was wholly satisfying for Rafa Benitez, who watched a reshaped side comfortably emerge victorious without ever requiring to turn on their engine, let alone click into first gear.

After the euphoria of Barcelona, the prospect of a shuddering thump as Liverpool landed back off their cloud was a distinct possibility.

Sheffield United’s ‘style’ of football, which is so basic it makes Bolton look like the Premiership’s cultural ambassadors, also ensured this was more boot camp than Nou Camp.

The Blades are one of those many sides in English football with a capacity for making stitching your eyelids with barbed wire more attractive than having to watch them play.

The use of a lone attacker by a visiting side is hardly surprising, particularly as it was so effective for Everton during the Reds’ last home fixture.

But even Sheffield United’s fans found themselves singing ‘4-4-2’ when their side trailed 2-0 early in the second half.

Warnock waited for the 66th minute before deciding to try and salvage a point, ensuring much of this low key affair was as entertaining as one of those Sunday morning TV shows when the Sheffield boss is the guest.

Why is Warnock indulged so much?

Every week we’re subjected to his half-baked conspiracy theories about referees, hearing how a throw-in during the 23rd minute of a home game last September changed the course of Premiership history.

A succession of fawning, witless pundits line up to tell us what a great character he is. Just because the guy brings a bit of colour to the top flight doesn’t make him good for the game.

He’s an obnoxious bully who fails to see anything outside the vision of the rose-tinted spectacles perked on that pointy pecker of his. It’s because of coaches like him the Europeans still think the British game is overrun with thuggish Neanderthals, and on afternoons such as this you find yourself agreeing.

For the second time in a season, Steven Gerrard incurred Warnock’s wrath, this time for pointing out he was being man-handled less than a yard away from Steve Bennett.

Warnock may have been wiser to question the wisdom of defender Rob Kozluk failing to listen to the warnings as he continued to give the Anfield skipper a belly hug.

Naturally, in Warnock’s whacky world of eternal microphone chasing, this incident completely changed the game.

If either side had changed their tactics after the opener he may have won some sympathy, but since both played exactly the same way before Liverpool added a second, the logic of his rant was lost.

When the combination of Jermaine Pennant and Dirk Kuyt sent Gerrard racing clear four minutes later, Nick Montgomery was lucky to be kept on the pitch after his trip.

For the second time, Robbie Fowler was able to step up and beat Paddy Kenny, the keeper who leaves the shape of his body permanently engraved in the turf whenever he dives.

Fowler’s penalty record at Anfield puts him on a par with the greatest.

Twenty goals in 26 efforts, most converted with the poise of a player who doesn’t believe he can miss.

He knows time is running out if the next few months aren’t to be any more than a prolonged lap of honour as he says goodbye to The Kop, but you wouldn’t put a fairytale finale behind him.

Aside from a couple of opportunities for Mark Gonzalez, the penalties were the only highlights of a subdued first half in which Peter Crouch left early with a broken nose.

“Bad news for his girlfriend,” joked Benitez.

Pennant was lively, Steve Finnan’s excellence maintained, and Sami Hyypia was as much playmaker as centre-half.

There was an improvement after the break, partially because Javier Mascherano grew in strength and confidence.

The Argentinian is smaller in stature than anticipated, but you can almost see his football brain ticking as he glides effortlessly around the pitch, picking up bits and pieces, supporting the player in possession and keeping the ball moving.

He looks the definition of a Liverpool ‘passer and mover’.

Benitez’s comparison with Didi Hamann appears to be the most suitable, although he may lack the weight in the tackle of the German. If he proves as effective an anchorman as the Kaiser, Mascherano will be another astute purchase.

Hyypia’s impressive return earned a scrappy third, and the pick of the bunch arrived when Fowler’s vision and Gerrard’s deft touch gave him enough space to find the bottom corner of the Anfield Road End.

Instead of tripping on the perennial banana skin, Liverpool emerged with the kind of routine win which spoke as much about the dearth of quality near the bottom of the league as the qualities of the squads at the top.

They also broke a club record by securing their ninth successive league shut-out at Anfield.

Each year Benitez has been here, there have been two Liverpools. First we’re subjected to the anxious, out-of-form and physically developing side which begins the season badly, suffers from rotation, and finds itself trailing the leaders by ten points by November.

And then there’s the team which at the start of each New Year looks the fittest in the Premiership, can swat aside inferior clubs with ease and which doesn’t suffer when a vast number of personnel changes are executed.

This will be the enigma for Benitez and his backroom team to solve before next season.

The frustration remains had Liverpool shown their true form in August, September and October, they would be in a title showdown next weekend, not aiming to reduce the gap to a massive 13 points.